1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle storage compartments and, more specifically, to a vehicular storage compartment for mounting in an opening in a floor of a vehicle.
2. Description of Background Art
There are generally known luggage and storage spaces that are provided beneath a vehicle floor. One example of a vehicle having a rear cargo space beneath the floor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,207 issued to Andersen et at on Jun. 13, 1967. In the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,207 a hidden cargo storage area is designed into the body of the vehicle and is provided with a pivoting floor section which covers the hidden cargo storage area. The hidden cargo storage area is designed to accommodate a wheel and other cargo. A problem with the hidden cargo storage area disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,207 is that the cargo area is integrally designed into the vehicle body and it does not disclose how to retrofit a vehicle body with a storage compartment.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,846 issued to Kanai et al on Nov. 2, 1993 discloses a luggage space which is located behind a rear seat of a station wagon type motor vehicle. The disclosed luggage space of the '846 patent also suffers from the drawback that the invention does not disclose a method of retrofitting a vehicle with a storage compartment.
In many vehicles it is desirable to provide additional storage space for the purpose of storing items. For automotive vehicles such as cars, the vehicle trunk is often utilized as a place where tools, tool boxes, jumper cables, recreational equipment and other miscellaneous items are stored. Likewise, in vehicles such as station wagons and suburbans are sometimes designed with a storage compartment under their floor as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,325,207 and 5,257,846 discussed above.
However, in other vehicles where a convenient storage compartment is not designed into the vehicle, the transport of such items as tools, tool boxes, jumper cables, recreational and other miscellaneous items can be cumbersome. In particular, in vehicles that are designed without a convenient storage compartment, these items are placed on the floor or on the seats and there is nothing to keep the items from rolling around on the vehicle floor or seats. Accordingly, it is desirable in the art to provide a vehicular storage compartment for containing such items which can be retrofitted in a floor of an automotive vehicle.